Information Processing Terminal

The present invention relates to a technique for management of data traffic. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for management of data traffic while a user is viewing content.

A user of a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone may make a contract of a communication service having a limitation in an amount of data available across a high-speed communication line with a communication carrier by a contract unit period (for example, monthly), and use the provided communication service. In such a contract of the communication service, when the data usage reaches the limit amount, the user has to use the smartphone with a low-speed communication line until next contract unit period.

While the user is viewing the high-quality content, if the data usage reaches the limit amount, the communication line is switched to the low-speed communication line and thus the user cannot continue to view the content being viewed or has to view the content with low-quality. At this point, in order to purchase an additional amount of data of the high-speed communication line, the user has to apply for additional purchase to the carrier. It is usually the case that the content is not provided by the carrier but by a content provider, and thus the user is forced to switch to an application or web page of the carrier. This reduces the convenience of the user.

There has been known a data traffic management device capable of eliminating a shortage of an available amount of data and an insufficient balance without requiring a user to perform a conscious operation in data communication with a wireless communication line having a limitation in the amount of data. For example, Patent Literature 1 teaches "in a data traffic management device for managing the data traffic of wireless connection with the data traffic being limited, an additional purchase processing unit performs processing for the additional purchase of data traffic with expiration date. A residual data traffic management unit manages the residual of data traffic including additional purchase data traffic, which is data traffic with expiration date additionally purchased. A purchase contents identifying unit identifies the additional purchase data traffic. A purchase condition determination unit determines whether a condition for purchasing additional purchase data traffic is satisfied or not. If the purchase condition determination unit determines that the condition for purchasing additional purchase data traffic is satisfied, the additional purchase processing unit performs the purchase processing of the additional purchase data traffic (excerpted from Abstract)".

Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2016-40673

However, the technique according to Patent Literature 1 only considers the residual amount of data included in the contracted communication service. That is, Patent Literature 1 does not consider the amount of data of the content and the playing condition of the content. For example, even when most of the content has been played and the data necessary for playing the remaining of the content is small, if the residual amount of the contracted data amount satisfies a predetermined purchase condition, the additional data would be purchased. This may place an unnecessary burden on the user.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique allowing a user to continuously view high-quality content for a desired period of time without placing an unnecessary burden on the user.

The present invention provides an information processing terminal allowing a user to view a content stored in an external server via contracted communication lines, the information processing terminal comprising: a communication data amount management unit configured to manage an amount of data communicated via a high-speed communication line of the communication lines; and a display control unit configured to execute display control, in a case where there is a possibility that an amount of data necessary for viewing of the content is about to exceed a remaining data amount which is an amount of data remaining within a contracted amount of data, the communication data amount management unit acquires necessary information which is information necessary for additional purchase of a predetermined amount of data of the high-speed communication line based on a predetermined condition, and the display control unit displays the necessary information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique allowing a user to continuously view high-quality content for a desired period of time without placing an unnecessary burden on the user. The problems, configurations, and advantageous effects other than those described above will be clarified by explanation of the embodiments below.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference signs used in the drawings indicate the same functions and processes.

In the present embodiment, it is determined, depending on an amount of data necessary for viewing the content to be viewed, whether an amount of data transmittable through a contracted high-speed communication line is insufficient in terms of limitations in the communication line. If the amount of data is insufficient, an additional amount of data is purchased. Hereinafter, an amount of data transmitted (communicated) via a high-speed communication line is simply referred to as a data amount of a high-speed communication line.

For example, a user of an information processing terminal makes a contract of a monthly communication service having a limitation in a data amount of a high-speed communication line with a communication carrier (carrier) who offers communication services, and uses the contracted communication service. In the present embodiment, the total amount of data of high-quality content provided by a provider who offers content (hereinafter, referred to as "content provider") is compared with the remaining amount of data (remaining data amount) of the high-speed communication line contracted at that time. When the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line is less than the data amount necessary for viewing of the content, an insufficient data amount of the high-speed communication line, which is a difference between the both, and information necessary for obtaining the insufficient data amount, for example, a purchase price, is calculated, and the calculated necessary information is presented. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, an example of calculating a purchase price as necessary information will be described.

1 FIG. 900 Firstly, an outline of an overall configuration of a communication system according to the present embodiment will be described.is a diagram for explaining an outline of a communication systemaccording to the present embodiment.

900 100 300 400 510 510 300 400 500 500 100 300 400 510 1 FIG. The communication systemaccording to the present embodiment includes an information processing terminal, a carrier-side device, a content server, and a base station. The base station, the carrier-side device, and the content serverare connected to a networkand thus can transmit and receive data to and from each other via the network. Here, in, each number of information processing terminal, carrier-side device, content server, and base stationis one, however, the number thereof is not limited thereto.

300 300 310 320 330 340 The carrier-side deviceis an information processing device managed by a carrier. As a configuration for the processing of the present embodiment, for example, the carrier-side deviceincludes a communication path charging management device, a communication path data amount management device, a communication path control device, and a contract information management device.

340 The contract information management deviceis configured to manage information on users who subscribe to communication services. The information to be managed includes, for example, information identifying users (user ID), identification information of communication lines (communication line number), details of the contracts, and the like.

330 100 510 510 330 300 330 500 500 330 100 510 500 330 The communication path control deviceis configured to control a communication path. The data transmitted from the information processing terminalto the base stationis transferred from the base stationto the communication path control deviceof the carrier-side device. If the received data is within the scope of the contract, the communication path control deviceoutputs the data at predetermined speed (via a high-speed communication line) to the network. Furthermore, if the data input from the networkis within the scope of the contract, the communication path control devicetransfers the data via the high-speed communication line to the information processing terminalvia the base station. If the data input from the networkexceeds the scope of the contract, the communication path control devicereduces the communication speed and then transfers the data.

320 320 330 340 The communication path data amount management deviceis configured to manage the remaining data amount of the capacity of the high-speed communication line for each user. The communication path data amount management deviceacquires an amount of transferred data transferred by the communication path control device, and refers to the contract information management deviceto manage the remaining data amount for each user.

310 310 340 320 330 The communication path charging management deviceis configured to manage the charges for each user. The communication path charging management devicerefers to the contract information management devicebased on the information from the communication path data amount management deviceand the communication path control deviceto realize the management for each user.

400 400 410 420 430 The content serveris a server managed by a content provider, and is configured to manage content to be provided to users. The content serveraccording to the present embodiment includes a content library, a content charging management device, and a content transmission management device.

410 410 420 430 The content libraryis configured to retain content that can be provided. The content librarymanages each content in association with corresponding attribute data. The attribute data includes, for example, a total amount of data, a charge for viewing, and the like. The content charging management deviceis configured to manage charges for each user. The content transmission management deviceis configured to provide users with the managed content in response to requests from the users.

100 400 271 410 100 271 400 Upon receiving a purchase request from the information processing terminalwhich will be described later, the content servertransmits content attribute informationstored in the content libraryin association with the content identified by the purchase request to the information processing terminalwhich made the request. The content attribute informationincludes the total amount of data of the content. Thereafter, the content serverstarts transmission of the content.

500 The networkis, for example, a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or the like.

100 100 100 In the following, a hardware configuration of the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing terminalof the present embodiment is an information processing device allowing a user to view content provided by a content provider via a communication line provided by a carrier. The information processing terminalis, for example, a smart phone, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, or a head mounted display (HMD).

2 FIG. 2 FIG. 100 100 101 102 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information display terminalaccording to the present embodiment. As illustrated in, the information display terminalof the present embodiment includes a main processor, a system bus, a memory and storage, an operation acceptance device, an image processing device, an audio processing device, a sensor, a communication device, an extended interface (I/F) unit, and a timer.

101 100 101 101 180 The main processoris a main control unit configured to control the entire of the information display terminalin accordance with a predetermined program. The main processoris implemented using a central processor unit (CPU) or a microprocessor unit (MPU). The main processorexecutes the processing in accordance with a clock signal measured and output by the timer.

102 101 100 The system busis a data communication path through which data is transmitted and received between the main controllerand each part of the information display terminal.

110 103 104 The memory and storageinclude a RAMand a storage.

103 103 103 101 The RAMis a program area during execution of a basic operation program or other application programs. Furthermore, the RAMserves as a temporary storage area for temporarily holding data as necessary during execution of various application programs. The RAMmay be integrated with the main controller.

104 100 100 104 100 100 104 101 104 103 100 The storageis configured to retain, for example, various operation setting values of the information display terminal, and information about a user of the information display terminal. In addition, the storagemay hold, for example, still image data and moving image data captured by the information display terminal. Here, the information display terminalshall be able to extend its functions by downloading new application programs from application servers via the Internet. At this time, the downloaded new application programs are stored in the storage. The main controllerloads the new application programs stored in the storageonto the RAMand executes it, whereby the information display terminalcan obtain the various functions.

104 100 104 The storageneeds to hold stored information even while the information display terminalis not being supplied with power. Accordingly, as the storage, a device such as a flash ROM, a solid-state drive (SSD), or a hard disc drive (HDD) is used.

120 100 120 121 100 120 122 100 100 120 123 131 100 120 The operation acceptance deviceis configured to accept an operation instruction input to the information display terminal. In the first embodiment, the operation acceptance deviceincludes an operation keyhaving such as a power key, a volume key, and a home key. In the case where the information display terminalis a HMD, the operation acceptance deviceincludes a touch sensorfor accepting an operation instruction through a touch pad. In the case where the information display terminalis the smartphoneS which will be described later, the operation acceptance deviceincludes a touch panelplaced so as to be superimposed on a display. Note that the information display terminalaccording to the present embodiment does not necessarily have to include all the functions of the operation acceptance device.

100 170 100 In the case of the smartphoneS, it may be configured to accept an input of an instruction through such as a keyboard connected to the extended interface unit, which will be described later. Furthermore, the information display terminalmay accept operations through a separate information processing device connected thereto by wired communication or wireless communication.

130 131 132 133 134 The image processing unitis an image (video) processor, and includes the display, an image signal processing unit, a first image acquisition unit, and a second image acquisition unit.

131 132 100 100 131 The displayis, for example, a display device (display) such as a liquid crystal panel, and configured to present the image data processed by the image signal processing unit, which will be described later, to the user of the information display terminal. In the case where the information display terminalis a HMD, the displaymay be a transparent type display.

132 133 134 132 101 131 The image signal processing unitis an image (video) signal processor configured to process images received from the first image acquisition unitand the second image acquisition unit. The image signal processing unitis further configured to superimpose an object created by the main processerand the like on the input image, and output it to the display.

133 100 100 133 100 133 The first image acquisition unitis configured to acquire images around the information display terminal. In the case of the information processing terminalis a HMD, the first image acquisition unitis an external camera. In the case of the smartphoneS, the first image acquisition unitis a rear camera (out-camera).

134 133 134 100 134 100 134 100 134 The second image acquisition unitis configured to acquire images of an area different from an image acquisition area of the first image acquisition unit. For example, the second image acquisition unitacquires images of the eye of the user. In the case of the information processing terminalis a HMD, the second image acquisition unitis an internal camera (camera for detecting a line-of-sight), and in the case of the smartphoneS, the second image acquisition unitis a front camera (in-camera). Note that in the case of the information processing terminalis a HMD, the second image acquisition unitfunctions, together with a line-of-sight identification unit which will be described later, as a line-of-sight detection sensor.

140 141 142 143 141 142 142 143 The audio processing deviceis an audio processor configured to process audio data, and includes an audio output unit, an audio signal processing unit, and an audio input unit. The audio output unitis a speaker, and is configured to output the audio signal processed by the audio signal processing unitto the outside. The audio signal processing unitis an audio signal processor. The audio input unitis a microphone, and is configured to convert a voice of the user into voice data and input the converted voice data.

150 100 150 151 152 153 154 155 100 155 100 150 The sensorincludes a group of sensors configured to detect a state of the information display terminal. In the first embodiment, the sensorincludes a Global Positioning System (GPS) reception unit, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a range sensor. The sensor group including the sensors above enables detection of a position, movement, inclination, direction, and the like of the information display terminal. The range sensoris a depth sensor, and is configured to acquire distance information from the information display terminalto an object. The sensormay further include other sensors.

160 161 162 163 161 162 163 161 162 163 160 The communication deviceis a communication processor configured to execute communication processing, and includes a local area network (LAN) communication unit, a telephone network communication unit, and a Bluetooth (registered mark, BT) communication unit. The LAN communication unitis connected to a wireless communication access point of the Internet by wireless communication, thereby enabling transmission and reception of data. The telephone network communication unitis connected to a base station of the mobile telephone communication network by wireless communication, thereby enabling telephone communication (telephone call) and transmission and reception of data. The BT communication unitis an interface used to communicate with an external device in accordance with the Bluetooth standard. The LAN communication unit, the telephone network communication unit, and the BT communication unitinclude an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, an antenna, and the like, respectively. The communication devicemay further include, for example, an infrared communication unit.

170 100 170 100 100 The extended interface unitincludes a group of interfaces used to extend the functions of the information display terminal. In the first embodiment, the extended interface unitincludes, for example, a charging terminal, an audio-and-video interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, and a memory interface. The audio-and-video interface is configured to receive a video signal, an audio signal, or both from an external audio-and-video output device, and output a video signal, an audio signal, or both to the external audio-and-video input device. The USB interface is used to connect a keyboard or other USB devices to the information display terminal. The memory interface is used to connect a memory card and other memory media to the information display terminalto enable transmission and reception of data.

100 2 FIG. The configuration example of the information processing terminalillustrated inincludes a large number of elements that are not essential to the present embodiment. Note that even the configuration not including these elements does not impair the advantageous effects of the present embodiment.

100 100 3 a FIG.() 3 b FIG.() In the following, an appearance of the information display terminalin the case where it is a smartphone will be described.is a front view of the information display terminal, andis a rear view thereof. In the following, an arrangement of each part described in the hardware configuration will be explained.

100 109 100 The information display terminalincludes a caseS in which each part of the information display terminalis housed. Note that, in the following, the vertical direction and lateral direction are as illustrated.

109 131 100 127 131 123 The caseS is provided with the displayat the center of the front face. In the case of the smartphoneS, it includes a touch screenserving both as the displayand the touch panel.

109 133 134 134 131 The caseS is provided with the first image acquisition unit(a rear camera, an out-camera, or both) on the rear face, and the second image acquisition unit(a front camera, an in-camera, or both) on the front face. The second image acquisition unitis placed above the front display.

109 141 131 141 109 141 109 143 109 The caseS is provided with the audio output unit, for example, at the upper central portion of the displayon the front face and at the lower portion on the rear face, respectively. An audio output unitM placed on the upper portion of the front face of the caseS is a mono speaker, and is used for voice calls. An audio output unitS placed at the lower portion of the rear face of the caseS is a stereo speaker, and is used for playing moving images or the like. Furthermore, the audio input unitis provided, for example, on the lower face of the caseS.

155 109 133 The distance sensoris placed on the rear face of the caseS, for example, next to the first image acquisition unit.

121 121 109 170 170 109 109 124 125 131 As the operation key, for example, a power switchP is placed on the upper face of the caseS. As the extended interface unit, a USB terminalU is placed on the lower face of the caseS. In addition, the caseS may be provided with a fingerprint sensorto be placed on the rear face, an LEDto be placed above the displayon the front face and the like.

100 Next, a functional configuration of the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment will be described. Here, only the configuration related to the present embodiment will be extracted and described.

4 a FIG.() 100 210 220 230 100 270 280 As illustrated in, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment includes a content management unit, a communication data amount management unit, and a display control unit. Furthermore, the information processing terminalincludes a content attribute information database (DB)and a communication service contract database (DB).

270 271 271 400 271 272 273 274 271 275 276 4 b FIG.() The content attribute information databaseretains the content attribute informationassociated with each content to be viewed by a user. The content attribute informationis transmitted from the content serverprior to transmission of the content. As illustrated in, the content attribute informationincludes, for example, a content IDthat is information identifying the content, a total data amountindicating the total amount of data of the content, and a necessary transmission speed (necessary bandwidth)of the content. In addition, the content attribute informationmay include a titleof the content, a type(moving image, still image) of the content, and the like.

210 210 210 210 271 210 220 The content management unitis configured to manage content. For example, the content management unitmanages purchase and play of the content. Upon purchasing the content, the content management unittransmits a purchase request, which is a request for purchasing the content, to the content provider in accordance with an instruction from the user. In response to the purchase request, the content management unitacquires the total amount of data of the content from the content attribute informationwhich is received prior to reception of the content. Then, the content management unitnotifies the communication data amount management unitof the total amount of data as the necessary data amount.

220 220 210 220 220 The communication data amount management unitis configured to manage the amount of data communicated via the high-speed communication line of the communication lines contracted with the carrier. In the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitmanages the remaining data amount at present. Furthermore, upon acquiring the necessary data amount from the content management unit, the communication data amount management unitcompares the acquired necessary data amount with the remaining data amount. When the remaining data amount is less than the necessary data amount and thus the remaining data amount is insufficient, the communication data amount management unitcalculates a purchase price of the insufficient amount.

220 281 280 281 281 282 100 283 284 285 284 283 285 285 4 c FIG.() In the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitmanages communication line contract informationabout the communication lines that the user contracts with the carrier. In the communication service contract database, the communication line contract informationabout the communication line that the user contracts with the carrier is managed. As illustrated in, the communication line contract informationto be managed includes, for example, a terminal IDidentifying the information processing terminalused by the user, and a contract data amount. In addition, a low-speed bandwidthand an additional purchase pricemay be further managed. The low-speed bandwidthis the transmission speed of a low-speed communication line to which the communication line is shifted when the data usage exceeds the contract data amountwithin the contract unit period. The additional purchase priceis a price per unit data amount to purchase an additional data amount of high-speed communication line, that is, an additional purchase unit price. Furthermore, in the case where the carrier offers a communication service in which the price per unit data amount varies depending on the data amount to be additionally purchased, a plurality of additional purchase pricescan be managed.

220 285 281 220 310 300 The communication data amount management unitmonitors usages (amount of transmitted data) of the high-speed communication line and updates the remaining data amount for each using. In the case that the additional purchase priceis not managed in the communication line contract information, the communication data amount management unitinquires the communication path charging management deviceof the carrier-side deviceabout the price to obtain the information about the price.

230 131 100 230 The display control unitis configured to control the display processing on the displayof the information processing terminal. In the present embodiment, the display control unitdisplays information such as the content, a menu, an input acceptance screen for a content purchase request, and an instruction acceptance screen for additional purchase, and accepts an instruction as necessary.

100 5 FIG. Next, a flow of communication data amount management processing by the information processing terminalof the present embodiment will be described.illustrates a processing flow of the communication data amount management processing according to the present embodiment. This processing is triggered by reception of an instruction to purchase the content from the user.

210 1101 210 400 271 The content management unitpurchases the content (step S). Here, the content management unittransmits a purchase request to the content server, and receives the content attribute informationin response thereto.

6 a FIG.() 131 230 131 610 620 630 illustrates a display example displayed at this time on the displayby the display control unit. A display area of the displayincludes a content display area, a play amount display area, and other items display area.

610 611 620 621 At this point, the content display areadisplays at least a start instruction displayfor accepting an instruction to start displaying from the user, and the play amount display areadisplays a play position slide bar.

210 273 271 1102 210 220 273 The content management unitacquires the total data amountof the content stored in the content attribute information(step S). Then, the content management unitnotifies the communication data amount management unitof the total data amountas the necessary data amount.

210 220 1103 Next, upon receiving the information about the necessary data amount of the content from the content management unit, the communication data amount management unitacquires the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line at present (step S).

220 1104 Then, the communication data amount management unitcompares the necessary data amount with the remaining data amount to determine whether the necessary data amount is more than the remaining data amount (step S).

1104 When the necessary data amount is equal to or less than the remaining data amount (step S; No), the communication data amount management processing is ended as it is.

1104 220 1105 220 220 310 300 220 230 On the other hand, when the necessary data amount is more than the remaining data amount (step S; Yes), the communication data amount management unitcalculates a purchase price of the insufficient data amount (step S). Here, firstly, the communication data amount management unitcalculates the insufficient data amount. The insufficient data amount is a difference between the necessary data amount and the remaining data amount. Then, the communication data amount management unitinquires the communication path charging management deviceof the carrier-side deviceabout the purchase amount of the insufficient data amount. Upon receiving the information about the purchase price in response to the inquiry, the communication data amount management unitnotifies the display control unitof the information.

180 100 200 In the case where the unit of additional purchase of data amount available in the high-speed communication line is defined in advance, a purchase price of the data amount of the smallest unit exceeding the insufficient data amount is calculated. For example, when the insufficient data amount isMB and the minimum purchase unit isMB, the data amount to be purchased isMB.

230 1106 230 110 The display control unitdisplays the purchase price of the insufficient data amount (step S). The display control unitcreates and displays a message using the information about the purchase price and data stored in the memory and storagein advance.

6 b FIG.() 6 b FIG.() 6 b FIG.() 131 230 630 230 1107 631 632 illustrates a display example displayed at this time on the display. As illustrated in, the display control unitdisplays the created message in the other items display area. The message includes the information indicating the purchase price. At this point, the display control unitalso displays buttons for accepting an intention of whether to purchase, and waits for selection by the user (step S).illustrates an example of displaying a "Yes" buttonas a button for accepting an intention to purchase, and a "No" buttonas a button for accepting an intention not to purchase. The message may further include a play time corresponding to the insufficient data amount. Note that the message does not necessarily have to include the purchase price. Even if the purchase price of the insufficient data amount is calculated, the information about the price does not have to be displayed.

1107 220 1108 Upon receiving the intention to purchase from the user (step S; Yes), the communication data amount management unitexecutes the additional purchase processing (step S), and then the communication data amount management processing is ended.

220 300 300 100 320 330 310 In the additional purchase processing, the communication data amount management unittransmits an additional purchase request to the carrier-side device. In the carrier side device, regarding the communication line used by the information processing terminalwhich has transmitted the request, the communication path data amount management deviceenables use of the high-speed communication line corresponding to newly purchased data amount, and then the communication path control devicecontrols the communication path. The communication path charging management deviceadditionally records the charging for the newly purchased data amount in the registered user of the communication line.

1107 230 1111 110 On the other hand, when receiving the intention not to purchase from the user (step S; No), the display control unitdisplays a warning (step S). The warning display is provided for notifying the user that the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line is so small that the user has to view the content across the low-speed communication line after usage up to the limit amount. For example, data of messages and the like used for the warning display is stored in the memory and storagein advance.

220 230 1112 220 230 Thereafter, the communication data amount management unitcontinues to monitor the usage of the high-speed communication line, and notifies the display control unitwhen detecting full use of amount of data (step S). For example, the communication data amount management unitoutputs a full use signal indicating that the amount of data is fully used to the display control unit.

230 1113 110 Upon receiving the full use signal, the display control unitdisplays an image quality deterioration message (step S), and then the communication data amount management processing is ended. The image quality deterioration display is provided for notifying that the content is to be displayed in low image quality thereafter. Data, messages, and the like necessary for this display are stored in the memory and storagein advance.

100 100 400 220 230 230 As described above, the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment is the information processing terminalallowing a user to view the content stored in the content server, which is an external server via contracted communication lines, and comprises a communication data amount management unitconfigured to manage an amount of data communicated via a high-speed communication line of the communication lines; and a display control unitconfigured to execute display control. In a case where there is a possibility that an amount of data necessary for viewing of the content is about to exceed a remaining data amount which is an amount of data remaining within a contracted amount of data, the communication data amount management unit calculates, as a purchase price, a price to additionally purchase a predetermined amount of data of the high-speed communication line, which corresponds to an insufficient amount of data, based on a predetermined condition, and the display control unitdisplays the calculated purchase price.

100 210 400 210 271 273 220 Furthermore, the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment further comprises the content management unitconfigured to acquire and play content. Upon requesting the content to the content serverwhich is an external server, the content management unitacquires, prior to start of distribution of the content, the content attribute informationincluding the data of data amount indicating the total amount of data of the content, and extracts the total data amounttherefrom as the necessary data amount. When the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line is less than the necessary data amount, the communication data amount management unitcalculates, as an insufficient data amount, a difference between the necessary data amount and the remaining data amount as the insufficient data amount, and calculates, as a purchase price, a price to purchase the calculated insufficient data amount.

100 100 100 100 100 As described above, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment is configured to determine whether the contracted communication line is about to be insufficient based on the necessary data amount of the content, and promote additional purchase in the case where it would be insufficient. Furthermore, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment allows the user to additionally purchase the insufficient data amount by means of the information processing terminalthat the user is operating to view the content before start of play of the content. This can minimize the additional purchase of the data amount of the high-speed communication line depending on the content to be viewed. In addition, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment does not force the user to start an application for purchasing the insufficient data amount. Therefore, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment allows the user to continuously view the high-quality content for a desired period of time without placing an unnecessary burden on the user.

100 300 In the embodiment described above, the information processing terminalsends an inquiry to the carrier-side deviceto acquire the purchase price of the insufficient data amount of the high-speed communication line. However, the present invention is not limited to this approach.

281 285 220 285 For example, in the case where the communication line contract informationincludes the additional purchase price, the communication data amount management unituses this additional purchase priceto calculate a purchase price of the insufficient data amount.

This enables execution of the processing without via the communication line to send an inquiry.

220 In the embodiment described above, the communication data amount management unitmonitors the usage of the high-speed communication line and compares the usage with the limit amount of the high-speed communication line held in advance so as to calculate the remaining data amount. However, an approach for acquiring the remaining data amount is not limited thereto.

100 300 320 For example, the information processing terminalmay be configured to send an inquiry to the carrier-side deviceto acquire the remaining data amount. That is, the remaining data amount, at that point, of the contracted communication line is acquired from the communication path data amount management device. According to this approach, the remaining data amount can be acquired with higher accuracy. For example, this approach is used in the case where the user subscribes to a communication service in which a plurality of users, such as family members, shares the contracted data amount.

100 100 Furthermore, the information processing terminalmay be configured to, when determining that the contracted data amount of the high-speed communication line is insufficient, change the processing depending on the necessary transmission speed of the content to be viewed. That is, when the necessary transmission speed is less than the transmission speed of the low-speed communication line, the information processing terminalmay not need to recommend new purchase of the data amount of the high-speed communication line.

7 FIG. illustrates a flow of communication data amount management processing in this case. The flow of the processing according to the present modification is basically the same as the flow of the communication data amount management processing according to the first embodiment. In the following, the flow of the processing will be described with focus on the steps different from those of the first embodiment.

1104 1104 1105 In this case, when it is determined in step Sthat the necessary data amount is more than the remaining data amount (step S; Yes), prior to calculation of a purchase price of the insufficient data amount (step S), the necessary transmission speed of the content to be viewed is compared with the transmission speed of the low-speed communication line.

210 271 1201 Specifically, the content management unitrefers to the content attribute informationand acquires a necessary bandwidth of the content (step S).

220 1202 220 281 220 300 Next, the communication data amount management unitacquires the transmission speed of the low-speed communication line (low-speed bandwidth) (step S). The communication data amount management unitacquires the low-speed bandwidth from the communication line contract informationin the case where it is managed therein. If the low-speed bandwidth is not managed therein, the communication data amount management unitinquires the carrier-side deviceto acquire it.

220 1203 Then, the communication data amount management unitcompares the necessary transmission speed of the content with the transmission speed of the low-speed communication line to determine whether the necessary transmission speed is more than the transmission speed of the low-speed communication line (step S).

1203 When the necessary bandwidth is equal to or less than the low-speed bandwidth (step S; Yes), the communication data amount management processing is ended as it is.

1203 1105 On the other hand, when the necessary bandwidth is more than the low-speed bandwidth (step S; No), the processing proceeds to step S. Subsequent steps are the same as those of the first embodiment.

220 As described above, according to the present modification, even if the data amount of the high-speed communication line is insufficient, when the necessary bandwidth is equal to or less than the bandwidth of the contracted low-speed communication line, the communication data amount management unitdoes not calculate a purchase price of the insufficient data amount. This enables the user to avoid unnecessary additional purchase of the data amount of the high-speed communication line to play the content which can be sufficiently played across the low-speed communication line. That is, it is possible to propose additional purchase of the data amount of the high-speed communication line to the user only when necessary, whereby a more user-friendly data traffic management technique can be provided.

100 Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the information processing terminalis configured to consider the reduction in the data amount of the communication line while the user is viewing the content, which is caused by the usage by other application programs via the communication line.

900 300 400 100 210 220 The configuration of the communication systemaccording to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The configuration of the carrier-side deviceand that of the content serverare also the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional blocks of the information processing terminalare basically the same as those of the first embodiment. However, a part of the functions of the content management unitand communication data amount management unitare different from those of the first embodiment.

In the following, the present embodiment will be described with focus on the functions different from those of the first embodiment.

220 The communication data amount management unitof the present embodiment is configured to, after the remaining data amount of the contracted high-speed communication line becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value, determine whether the entire content can be viewed in the same manner as the first embodiment.

220 220 220 220 210 210 Specifically, the communication data amount management unitof the present embodiment acquires the remaining data amount of the contracted high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals. Then, the communication data amount management unitcompares, for each acquisition, the remaining data amount with a threshold value of a predetermined remaining data amount (remaining amount threshold value Trc). When the remaining data amount becomes equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value Trc, the communication data amount management unitcompares the remaining data amount with the data amount of a part of the content which has not been played yet (unplayed data amount). When the remaining data amount becomes equal to or less than the remaining data amount threshold Trc, the communication data amount management unitoutputs an unplayed data amount checking signal to the content management unitso as to cause the content management unitto check the unplayed data amount.

220 210 220 Upon receiving the unplayed data amount checking signal from the communication data amount management unit, the content management unitacquires the unplayed data amount at this point as the necessary data amount, and notifies the communication data amount management unitof the unplayed data amount.

210 210 273 271 Specifically, the content management unitmonitors the play of the content, and acquires the played data amount at predetermined intervals. Then, for each acquisition, the content management unitsubtracts the played data amount from the total data amountof the initially acquired content attribute informationto calculate the unplayed data amount. Note that the predetermined intervals are not limited to time, but may be the received data amount.

100 8 FIG. Hereinafter, a flow of the communication data amount management processing by the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment will be described.illustrates a processing flow of the communication data amount management processing according to the present embodiment. This processing is also triggered by reception of an instruction to purchase the content from the user.

210 2101 210 400 271 100 271 The content management unitpurchases the content (step S). In the same manner as the first embodiment, the content management unittransmits a purchase request to the content server, and receives the content attribute informationin response thereto. In the present embodiment, the information processing terminalstarts playing the content. Note that the content attribute informationmay be transmitted at the same time when the content is transmitted, or may be transmitted while the content is being transmitted.

9 a FIG.() 131 230 610 illustrates a display example displayed at this time on the displayby the display control unit. In the present embodiment, play of the content is started at this point, and thus the content is being displayed in the content display area.

220 2102 220 2103 The communication data amount management unitacquires the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals (step S). Then, the communication data amount management unitcompares the acquired remaining data amount with the predetermined remaining amount threshold value Trc to determine whether the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value Trc (step S).

2103 2102 When the remaining data amount is more than the remaining amount threshold value Trc (step S; No), the processing returns to step Sand then repeated.

2103 220 210 210 210 2104 On the other hand, when the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the remaining data amount threshold value Trc (step S; Yes), the communication data amount management unitoutputs, to the content management unit, an unplayed data amount acquiring signal for causing the content management unitto acquire the unplayed data amount of the content. Upon receiving the signal, the content management unitacquires the unplayed data amount at this point as the necessary data amount (step S).

1104 1108 1111 1113 The subsequent steps are the same as steps Sto Sand steps Sto Sof the first embodiment.

1104 1104 2102 However, in the present embodiment, in step S, when the necessary data amount is equal to or less than the remaining data amount (step S; No), the processing returns to step S. As described above, in the present embodiment, the operations of other application programs using the communication line while the user is viewing the content are also taken into consideration. The remaining data varies until the next checking interval as other application programs use the data amount of the high-speed communication line. The necessary data amount also varies as the play of the content continues. In view of these, the latest values thereof are used for comparison at the next checking interval.

1108 2105 2102 1105 Furthermore, even after the additional purchase (step S), unless the user finishes viewing the content (step S), the processing returns to step Sand then is repeated. Even after the additional data amount is purchased, other application programs may use the data amount of the high-speed communication line. This may lead to a possibility that the data amount more than the insufficient data amount calculated in step Sbecomes necessary.

210 230 1106 210 In the present embodiment, the content management unitmay be configured to pause the play of the content while the display control unitis displaying the purchase price of the insufficient data amount in step S. The content management unitmay automatically restart the play of the content upon accepting the purchase, or after accepting an instruction not to purchase and then displaying the warning.

9 b FIG.() 131 1106 230 630 illustrates a display example displayed on the displayin step S. In the same manner as the first embodiment, the display control unitdisplays the created message in the other items display area, and also display the buttons for accepting an intention of whether to purchase and waits for selection by the user.

However, in the present embodiment, the displayed message is different from that of the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the message includes not only the information indicating the purchase price, but also the information of the play time corresponding to the unplayed data amount.

610 621 Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the play of the content has already been started, the content is being displayed in the content display area. In addition, the play position slide baris displayed in such a manner of allowing the user to grasp the play amount.

100 220 210 210 220 As described above, in the information processing terminalof the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitacquires the remaining data amount of the contracted high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals, and outputs the unplayed data amount acquiring signal for acquiring the unplayed data amount of the content to the content management unitwhen the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount threshold value Trc. Upon receiving the signal, the content management unitcalculates the unplayed data amount of the content being viewed as the necessary data amount. When the latest remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line is less than the necessary data amount, the communication data amount management unitcalculates the insufficient data amount of the high-speed communication line to calculate a price to purchase the insufficient data amount as a purchase price.

100 100 As described above, in the same manner as the first embodiment, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment is configured to determine whether the contracted communication line is insufficient depending on the unplayed data amount of the content, and promote additional purchase when the contracted communication line is insufficient. At this time, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment also considers the usage of the communication line by other application programs.

Therefore, in addition to the advantageous effects of the first embodiment, in the present embodiment, the insufficient data amount of the high-speed communication line can be calculated with higher accuracy, and thus it is possible to further suppress a burden on the user while allowing the user to continue to view the high-quality content.

The present embodiment may be combined with the first to third modifications.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The first embodiment is provided for viewing of content whose total data amount is known. On the other hand, the present embodiment is provided for viewing of content whose total data amount is unknown. The content whose total data amount is unknown is, for example, sports broadcasting or the like whose end time is not fixed in advance.

900 300 400 100 210 220 The configuration of the communication systemaccording to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The configuration of the carrier-side deviceand that of the content serverare also the same as those of the first embodiment. The hardware configuration and functional blocks of the information processing terminalare basically the same as those of the first embodiment. However, a part of the functions of the content management unitand communication data amount management unitare different from those of the first embodiment.

220 220 210 210 In the present embodiment, in the same manner as the second embodiment, the communication data amount management unitchecks the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals. In the present embodiment, however, when the remaining data amount becomes equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value Trc, the communication data amount management unitissues an instruction to the content management unitto cause the content management unitto calculate an average transmission rate of the content.

220 220 Then, the communication data amount management unitaccording to the present embodiment uses the average transmission rate of the content to calculate a subsequent purchase price, and presents the calculated purchase price to the user. At this time, in the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitmay use a plurality of different conditions to calculate a plurality of purchase prices. The plurality of conditions includes, for example, subsequent different viewing times.

210 210 210 220 The content management unitcalculates the average transmission rate of the content up to that point in time. For example, the content management unitobtains the average transmission rate of the content by dividing the viewed data amount up to that point in time by a viewing period. Then, the content management unitoutputs the calculated average transmission rate to the communication data amount management unit.

100 10 FIG. Hereinafter, a flow of the communication data amount management processing by the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment will be described.illustrates a processing flow of the communication data amount management processing according to the present embodiment. This processing is also triggered by reception of an instruction to purchase the content by the user.

Hereinafter, the flow of the communication data amount management processing according to the present embodiment will be described with focus on the steps different from those of the second embodiment.

210 2101 The content management unitpurchases the content (step S).

220 2102 220 2103 The communication data amount management unitacquires the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals (step S). Then, the communication data amount management unitcompares the acquired remaining data amount with the predetermined remaining amount threshold value Trc to determine whether the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value Trc (step S).

2103 2102 When the remaining data amount is more than the remaining amount threshold value Trc (step S; No), the processing returns to step Sand then is repeated.

2103 220 210 210 210 3101 220 On the other hand, when the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the remaining amount threshold value Trc (step S; Yes), the communication data amount management unitprovides the content management unitwith a calculation instruction notification to cause the content management unitto calculate the average transmission rate of the content. Upon receiving the calculation instruction notification, the content management unitcalculates the average of the transmission rate up to that point in time to obtain an average transmission rate AA of the content (step S), and outputs the average transmission rate AA to the communication data amount management unit.

220 3102 220 1 1 The communication data amount management unituses the average transmission rate AA to calculate a purchase price for each predetermined viewing condition (step S). In the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitcalculates, for example, purchase prices of a plurality of viewing times, respectively. For example, assuming that the purchase unit price per unit time is BB, the purchase price in the case of viewing the content for Thours can be calculated by AA×T×BB.

230 3103 1108 1107 The display control unitdisplays the calculated purchase price (step S). The subsequent steps are the same as those of the second embodiment. Note that the additional purchase in step Sis based on the selection in step S.

11 FIG. 131 3103 230 630 230 620 illustrates a display example displayed on the displayin step S. The display control unitdisplays basically in the same manner as the second embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, a message and intention acceptance buttons displayed in the other items display areaare different therefrom. In addition, since the total data amount of the content being viewed is unknown, the display control unitdisplays, in the play amount display area, information allowing the user to grasp the viewing amount up to that point in time, for example, the viewing time.

11 FIG. 633 illustrates an example of calculating the purchase prices for three types of viewing conditions (viewing time), namely, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 60 minutes, respectively. Each of the conditions and an intention not to purchase are displayed in a manner allowing user's selection. In buttonsfor selecting each of the conditions, the conditions (viewing time) and the corresponding purchase prices are displayed.

210 230 3103 210 In the same manner as the second embodiment, in the present embodiment as well, the content management unitmay pause the play of the content while the display control unitis displaying the purchase price for each condition in step S. The content management unitmay automatically restart the play of the content upon accepting the purchase, or after accepting an instruction not to purchase and then displaying the warning.

100 220 210 210 220 As described above, in the information processing terminalof the present embodiment, the communication data amount management unitacquires the remaining data amount of the high-speed communication line at predetermined time intervals, and outputs the calculation instruction notification to the content management unitwhen the remaining data amount is equal to or less than the predetermined remaining amount threshold. Upon receiving the notification, the content management unitcalculates the average transmission rate of the content being viewed. Thereafter, the communication data amount management unituses the average transmission rate to calculate, as the purchase prices, prices to purchase the necessary data amount of the high-speed communication line, for predetermined conditions, respectively, and the display control unit displays the purchase prices in association with the conditions, respectively.

100 100 As described above, the information processing terminalaccording to the present embodiment is configured to promote additional purchase when the contracted communication line is likely to be insufficient even while the user is viewing content whose total data amount is unknown. At this time, the user can select an additional purchase price from among the prices corresponding to a plurality of conditions, for example, viewing times. This can minimize the additional purchase of the data amount of the high-speed communication line depending on the content to be viewed in the same manner as the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In addition, the information processing terminalof the present embodiment does not force the user to start an application for purchasing the insufficient data amount. Therefore, the information processing terminal 100 of the present embodiment allows the user to continuously view the high-quality content for a desired period of time without placing an unnecessary burden on the user.

The present embodiment may be combined with the first to third modifications.

100 1111 1113 100 In the embodiments described above, the information processing terminalasks the user whether to purchase the additional data amount, and when accepting an intention not to purchase, executes the processes in steps Sto Sand then displays the warning or the like. However, these processes may not be executed. The information processing terminalmay be configured to provide only the warning display or the image quality degradation display.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, but includes other various modifications. For example, the embodiments and modifications described above have been explained in detail in order to clarify the present invention, but are not necessarily limited to those having all the features as described. In addition, a part of the configuration of the present embodiments and modifications can be replaced with that of other embodiments and modifications, and the features of other embodiments and modifications can be added to the configuration of the present embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace other configurations with respect to a part of the configuration of the present embodiments and modifications.

Some or all the configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means described above may be implemented by hardware, for example, by designing them with an integrated circuitry. In addition, the configurations and functions described above may be implemented by software by interpreting and executing programs in which the processor implements the respective functions. Information such as programs, tables, and files for implementing various functions can be placed in recording devices such as a memory, hard disk, and solid-state drive (SSD), or recording media such as an IC card, SD card, and DVD.

Furthermore, the control lines and information lines which are considered to be necessary for the purpose of explanation are indicated herein, but not all the control lines and information lines of actual products are necessarily indicated. It may be considered that almost all the configurations are actually connected to each other.

100 : information processing terminal, 100 S: smartphone, 101 : main processor, 102 : system bus, 103 : RAM, 104 : storage, 109 S: case, 110 : memory and storage, 120 : operation acceptance device, 121 : operation key, 121 P: power switch, 122 : touch sensor, 123 : touch panel, 124 : fingerprint sensor, 125 : LED, 127 : touch screen, 130 : image processing device, 131 : display, 132 : image signal processing unit, 133 : first image acquisition unit, 134 : second image acquisition unit, 140 : audio processing device, 141 : audio output unit, 141 M: audio output unit, 141 S: audio output unit, 142 : audio signal processing unit, 143 : audio input unit, 150 : sensor, 151 : reception unit, 152 : gyro sensor, 153 : geomagnetic sensor, 154 : acceleration sensor, 155 : range sensor, 160 : communication device, 161 : LAN communication unit, 162 : telephone network communication unit, 163 : BT communication unit, 170 : extended interface unit, 170 U: USB terminal, 180 : timer, 210 : content management unit, 220 : communication data amount management unit, 230 : display control unit, 270 : content attribute information database, 271 : content attribute information, 272 : content ID, 273 : total data amount, 274 : necessary bandwidth, 275 : title, 276 : type, 280 : communication service contract database, 281 : communication line contract information, 282 : terminal ID, 283 : contract data amount, 284 : low-speed bandwidth, 285 : additional purchase price, 300 : carrier-side device, 310 : communication path charging management device, 320 : communication path data amount management device, 330 : communication path control device, 340 : contract information management device, 400 : content server, 410 : content library, 420 : content charging management device, 430 : content transmission management device, 500 : network, 510 : base station, 610 : content display area, 611 : start instruction display, 620 : play amount display area, 621 : play position slide bar, 630 : other items display area, 631 : "Yes" button, 632 : "No" button, 633 : selection button, 900 : communication system, Trc: remaining amount threshold value